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  • Over 190,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine touch down in the Philippines

    Over 190,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine touch down in the Philippines

    The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the Philippines just got a significant boost, thanks to the arrival of at least 193,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. The much-needed supply was donated by Covax, a global initiative set up to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. Thailand declined to join Covax when given the opportunity, preferring to strike deals with manufacturers directly.…

  • 44 countries report cases of Covid-19 variant first found in India – WHO

    44 countries report cases of Covid-19 variant first found in India – WHO

    So far, 44 countries have now reported the cases of the mutated Covid-19 variant that was first detected in India and is linked to the country’s massive outbreak, where active Covid-19 infections in India have now surpassed 3.7 million. The drastic spike in cases linked to the new variant has led to severe shortages of hospital beds and oxygen to…

  • Nong Pong, a new lagoon park nearing completion in Pattaya

    Nong Pong, a new lagoon park nearing completion in Pattaya

    Project developers have announced that they are nearly finished building Nong Pong, a large new public park on Jomtien Second Road in the Pattaya area. The park began construction last May with an original completion date of August which the construction crew says should be met without a problem. The Pattaya park features a large lagoon creating beautiful scenery and…

  • Health officials point to Thailand’s porous borders as biggest “Indian variant” threat

    Health officials point to Thailand’s porous borders as biggest “Indian variant” threat

    Thailand’s health officials say the Kingdom’s porous borders pose the greatest risk in terms of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19 being imported. Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital says there is a distinct possibility the highly contagious variant, currently wreaking havoc with India’s healthcare system, could be imported by migrants slipping into the country illegally.…

  • Krabi tourism operators call for vaccination ramp up, clarity on national park rules

    Krabi tourism operators call for vaccination ramp up, clarity on national park rules

    With Krabi eyeing October 1 for a re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists, operators in the region are calling for greater clarity and for vaccination to be ramped up. Ekawit Pinyotamanotai from the Krabi Tourism Association says tourism workers need to be prioritised for vaccination and there is a need for clarity on regulations governing national parks. The Krabi sandbox model…

  • Pfizer vaccine OK for US children 12-15, critics urge better use

    Pfizer vaccine OK for US children 12-15, critics urge better use

    While drug regulators authorised Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 in the US, critics are saying that the jabs would be more useful if sent to poor countries. The American Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine on Monday, saying that it was safe for children over the age of 12, and the US Centres for Disease Control…

  • Thai Airways’ creditors to vote on rehab plan today

    Thai Airways’ creditors to vote on rehab plan today

    Today is D-Day for Thai Airways, with 13,000 creditors voting on whether or not to accept the struggling airline’s rehabilitation plan. According to a Bangkok Post report, a source at the airline has warned that should creditors reject the plan, the carrier will be declared bankrupt and they would only receive 12.9% of what they’re owed. In the event of…

  • Jailed activists Penguin and Ammy finally granted bail

    Jailed activists Penguin and Ammy finally granted bail

    Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the high-profile student activist leader that has been jailed for months, has finally been granted bail after 10 requests. Another student protester champion, singer Chaiamorn “Ammy the Bottom Blues” Kaewwiboonpan, was also released yesterday. Both activists were being held without bail in Bangkok Remand Prison, charged under Thailand’s strict lèse majesté laws that prohibit anyone from speaking…

  • PM Prayut pushes vaccine priority for the national agenda

    PM Prayut pushes vaccine priority for the national agenda

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha asked the Thai cabinet to make the Covid-19 vaccine part of the national agenda in order to make it Thailand’s top priority. He urged Thai people through a Facebook post to get vaccinated and not hesitate. The PM reminded people that getting everyone vaccinated to the point of herd immunity is the only way to end the…

  • Airlines can face penalties for failure to check passengers’ Certificate of Entry – CAAT

    Airlines can face penalties for failure to check passengers’ Certificate of Entry – CAAT

    Airlines with routes to Thailand are told to check passengers’ Certificate of Entry, a required document to travel to Thailand, prior to departure. Airlines will face penalties if they allow passengers who don’t have the required documentation to land in Thailand, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand warns. If passengers do not have their COE prior to boarding the aircraft,…

  • Thai government looks into “humanitarian solution” for detained reporters from Myanmar

    Thai government looks into “humanitarian solution” for detained reporters from Myanmar

    Following the arrest of 3 journalists from a Myanmar news agency and 2 activists, who all face deportation and charges for entering Thailand illegally, the Thai government says they’re looking for a “humanitarian solution.” Following the February military coup, the junta attempted to silence the media by revoking licenses allowing outlets to report and arresting journalists. The editor and director…

  • Thailand News Today | More bubbles?, Burmese journalists arrested, Malaysian lockdown | May 11

    Thailand News Today | More bubbles?, Burmese journalists arrested, Malaysian lockdown | May 11

    Thailand will travel travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October, Police in Northern Thailand arrested 3 senior journalists who had fled Myanmar, Thai officials say expats living in Thailand will be included in the government’s mass Covid-19 vaccination plan, but exactly when that will be is still…

  • Suspected insurgent killed in gunfire exchange with rangers in Thailand’s deep south

    Suspected insurgent killed in gunfire exchange with rangers in Thailand’s deep south

    A suspected insurgent was shot and killed in a gunfire exchange with Thai rangers in Narathawit, a province in Thailand’s deep south by the Malaysian border plagued with violence from the religious separatist insurgency. 2 other men were arrested after the clash with rangers in the Bacho district this morning. Another suspected insurgent is on the run. Rangers got a…

  • Thailand signs trade agreement with EU, same tax rates as before Brexit

    Thailand signs trade agreement with EU, same tax rates as before Brexit

    Under a new agreement with the European Union, Thailand can export to the trade bloc under the same tax rates and trade privileges from before Brexit. After the UK left the trade bloc on January 1, the tariff rate quota deal between Thailand and the EU was renegotiated. The agreement goes into effect next month. The recent agreement only covers…

  • University student carves “112” into chest after being charged with violating lèse-majesté law

    University student carves “112” into chest after being charged with violating lèse-majesté law

    A Chiang Mai University student now has the numbers of “112” carved across his chest after using a razor blade on himself in defiance of the Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lèse-majesté law. The student took to cutting himself after arriving at the police station to face charges of violating the law. He was also…

  • British citizens fined 6,000 baht each for illegal ‘party’ in Phuket

    British citizens fined 6,000 baht each for illegal ‘party’ in Phuket

    An unedited video circulating, showing Phuket police raiding an illegal gathering in Cherngtalay, ended up with 2 UK citizens, working in Phuket, being fined 6,000 baht each. The Cherngtalay police are also calling on another 4 foreigners attending the party to present themselves to the police station to be charged as well. Cherngtalay Police descended on the property around 5pm…

  • American leaves hospital after being denied Covid treatment in same room as Thai wife

    American leaves hospital after being denied Covid treatment in same room as Thai wife

    An American man, who tested positive for Covid-19, is back in the hospital after fleeing when he was denied a shared room with this Thai wife-who was also undergoing Covid treatment. The 51 year old man left the northeastern Amnat Charoen province Chanuman hospital on May 9th after doctors declined to move his bed to that of his wife’s room.…

  • Covid UPDATE: 1,919 new cases and 31 deaths, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 1,919 new cases and 31 deaths, provincial totals

    1,919 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 29,435 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 86,924 infections and 452 Covid-related deaths. At today’s CCSA briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun said…

  • Chon Buri releases Covid timeline of recent market cluster

    Chon Buri releases Covid timeline of recent market cluster

    Chon Buri is releasing a Covid-19 timeline of a recent market cluster that is seeing 19 cases of the virus so far. The Chonburi Public Health Office is asking those who visited the places listed below, to notify health authorities and monitor their health for Covid symptoms. The following is an English version of the timeline, translated by The Pattaya…

  • Travel bubble talks to pick back up once Covid-19 is under control

    Travel bubble talks to pick back up once Covid-19 is under control

    Once the Covid-19 outbreak is under control, Thailand will pick back up on travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October if the daily Covid-19 count significantly decreases by the end of the month. The country’s Covid-19 immunisation plan needs to be accelerated and the daily Covid-19 count…

  • 3 journalists from Myanmar arrested in Chiang Mai

    3 journalists from Myanmar arrested in Chiang Mai

    Police in Northern Thailand arrested 3 senior journalists who had fled Myanmar due to orders from the military junta to stop reporting, the director and editor of the news agency Democratic Voice of Burma said in an email to the Associated Press. The journalists, along with 2 associates, were arrested yesterday in Chiang Mai for allegedly illegally entering Thailand. Police…

  • Pattaya motorbike taxi driver dies after being hit by car while trying to save dog

    Pattaya motorbike taxi driver dies after being hit by car while trying to save dog

    A female motorbike taxi driver has been killed after she was struck by a car while trying to save a stray dog on a Pattaya highway. The Pattaya News reports that the tragic incident occurred on Sukhumvit Road near the Chaiyapruek Intersection around 8pm on Sunday night. It’s understood the woman, named as 21 year old Roongnapa Jaroensook was trying…

  • Americans in Thailand urge US to provide Covid-19 vaccines to citizens overseas

    Americans in Thailand urge US to provide Covid-19 vaccines to citizens overseas

    Thai officials say expats living in Thailand will be included in the government’s mass Covid-19 vaccination plan, but exactly when that will be is still up in the air. With foreign embassies in Thailand clearly stating that they will not assist with providing citizens living overseas with vaccines, expats are relying on the Thai government. A number of Americans are…

  • Flight booking data shows vaccinations are key to rebooting travel globally

    Flight booking data shows vaccinations are key to rebooting travel globally

    The latest findings from a research firm that analyses flight booking data confirms that vaccination is the key to rebooting international travel. The most recent research from ForwardKeys shows that destinations prepared to welcome vaccinated tourists have seen a surge in bookings. In particular, Greece and Iceland, have had a significant uptake in inbound flights, while countries where mass vaccination…

  • Chinese study confirms Sinovac vaccine safe for over 60s

    Chinese study confirms Sinovac vaccine safe for over 60s

    Health officials in Thailand say there is no need for concern about use of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine the over 60s, after a Chinese study confirmed it is safe. Sophon Mekhton from the Public Health Ministry says the independent study should reassure everyone about the vaccine’s safety in the older age group. According to the Bangkok Post, the study also…

  • Tuesday Covid UPDATE: 31 new deaths and 1,919 new infections

    Tuesday Covid UPDATE: 31 new deaths and 1,919 new infections

    The Thai public health officials have reported that there has been 31 Covid-related deaths and 1,919 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. • An entry ban has been extended to cover foreign travellers coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as India, to help contain any further “highly contagious” Indian variants of Covid-19. The includes all foreigners departing…

  • Entry ban extended to non-Thais arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal

    Entry ban extended to non-Thais arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal

    Non-Thai nationals arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal are now included in an entry ban aimed at preventing the spread of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19. The ban was first introduced for arrivals from India late last month, amid the escalating crisis in that country. It has now been extended to 3 other South Asian nations as the government…

  • Health officials race to vaccinate 70% of Khlong Toey slum residents

    Health officials race to vaccinate 70% of Khlong Toey slum residents

    Health officials are racing to vaccinate 70% of residents in Bangkok’s Khlong Toey neighbourhood, the largest slum in the city where hundreds have tested positive for Covid-19 since April. With people living in crowded conditions and many unable to take off work to self-isolate, Thai authorities have been rolling out proactive Covid-19 testing and a mass vaccination campaign in an…

  • Thailand News Today | Thai government throws TG under bus, new police uniforms | May 10

    Thailand News Today | Thai government throws TG under bus, new police uniforms | May 10

    Forum Moderator Application… HERE In today’s Thailand News Today we look at… State Enterprise Policy Office says the government will not bank-roll a billion-baht cash injection for Thai Airways, Public buses, cars, and motorbike taxis now need to comply with tougher Covid-19 measures, After a 3-day search, a body of a missing fisherman was found off the coast of Lin…

  • Covid-19 variant first detected in India reported in Thailand state quarantine

    Covid-19 variant first detected in India reported in Thailand state quarantine

    The mutated strain of Covid-19 that was first reported in India has been detected in Thailand. Health officials say a Thai woman and her young son tested positive for the variant while in quarantine for those arriving in Thailand from overseas. The mother and her sons, ages 4, 6, and 8, had arrived in Thailand from Pakistan on April 24,…